hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon ˈhī-drō-ˌkär-bən 

: an organic compound (such as acetylene or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens

Examples of hydrocarbon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The spacecraft is designed to survive temperatures approaching -290°F (-179°C), methane rainfall and swirling hydrocarbon dust. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Other microbes seemed to produce their own dark oxygen, perhaps to extract energy from hydrocarbons such as methane, much as drag racers inject nitrous oxide into their engines to boost horsepower. — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026

Africa’s largest oil and gas producer is pushing to revive hydrocarbon exploration in deepwater reserves at a time when global oil companies have retreated from their onshore Nigerian assets due to pipeline vandalism. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The energy minister said ExxonMobil plans to expand its exploration activities off Cyprus and is expected to receive an additional license to search for hydrocarbons. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hydrocarbon

• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
• polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon

Rhymes for hydrocarbon

• fluorocarbon
• carbon
• radiocarbon

Kids Definition

hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon ˌhī-drə-ˈkär-bən 

: a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen

Medical Definition

hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon -ˈkär-bən 

: an organic compound (as acetylene, benzene, or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens